Chapter 727: A Bold Plan

Huang Rong checked on her husband’s condition.

Although Song Qingshu had forced out the suspicious antidote, Guo Jing’s situation remained dire. Previously, even though he had temporarily lost his internal strength, he had still been conscious. Now, however, he was completely unconscious.

If not for his steady breathing, Huang Rong might have already fought Song Qingshu to the death.

She didn’t know what had gone wrong. Was there something wrong with the antidote? Or was it Song Qingshu himself? Although she had more or less confirmed that the antidote was not poisonous, deep down, she still didn’t want to believe that Song Qingshu was the mastermind behind all of this.

‘If this was really all an act orchestrated by him, I will never forgive him!’

Huang Rong silently vowed as she clutched her husband’s hand.

Lost in her thoughts, Huang Rong lowered her head, while Song Qingshu furrowed his brows in deep contemplation. The room quickly sank into an unsettling silence.

“I understand now!” Song Qingshu suddenly broke the silence.

“What do you understand?” Huang Rong looked at him curiously.

Holding the antidote between his fingers, Song Qingshu explained, “The antidote is not poisonous, but it definitely contains highly stimulating ingredients. From what I can identify, it has cuttlefish ink and sea urchin, among other such ingredients. There may be even more I haven’t detected. When Hero Guo consumed this antidote, these stimulating components triggered the latent poison in his body, causing it to flare up violently. Luckily, I had been cautious and didn’t completely dissolve the antidote all at once while channeling my internal energy—otherwise, the consequences would have been catastrophic.”

Huang Rong’s expression shifted. She quickly took out an antidote pill and sniffed it. She hadn’t noticed anything before, but now that Song Qingshu had pointed it out, she could indeed distinguish the presence of stimulating ingredients.

“Ouyang Feng is truly devious!” Huang Rong said bitterly, her gaze toward Song Qingshu now filled with apology. “I’m sorry for doubting you earlier.”

“As the saying goes, ‘The more you care, the more you panic.’ Given the circumstances, it was only natural for you to be suspicious, Rong’er.” Song Qingshu smiled faintly, clearly unbothered. He reached out to check Guo Jing’s pulse and his expression darkened. “However, Hero Guo’s condition is rather dire.”

Huang Rong’s heart clenched. She hurriedly asked, “Didn’t you say you had already controlled the poison?”

“I did manage to suppress it earlier,” Song Qingshu replied with a wry smile. “But after being provoked by that so-called antidote, the poison has erupted even more violently than before. At most, I can only suppress it for another day or two. If we can’t find the real antidote in time, not even the gods could save him when the poison flares up again.”

Huang Rong’s face instantly turned pale. She muttered in a daze, “What should we do? What should we do…” Though she had always prided herself on her intelligence, her mind went completely blank in this moment of crisis.

Suddenly, she grabbed Song Qingshu’s arm tightly. “Qingshu, you must have a way! Please, save Brother Jing!”

Song Qingshu smiled bitterly. “I originally thought that getting the antidote from Wanyan Liang would be a simple task. I never expected Ouyang Feng to be so cunning. Now that we’ve alerted him, it will be even harder to obtain the antidote from him.”

“No! You always have a way. You shattered the Qing army of a hundred thousand, you command the wind and rain… Everything you’ve done over the years can only be described as miraculous. You always accomplish the impossible, and this time will be no different!” Huang Rong clung to his arm, as if holding onto a lifeline.

Seeing her desperate gaze, Song Qingshu sighed. “Rong’er, I am not a god. There are many things in this world that even I cannot do…”

Hearing this, Huang Rong’s eyes instantly dimmed, and she looked completely devastated. She murmured absentmindedly, “Brother Jing, if you die, I won’t live either…”

Song Qingshu hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. “Rong’er, there might be one way, but…”

“But what?” Huang Rong’s eyes lit up at the glimmer of hope. “As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll agree to it!”

Song Qingshu shook his head. “You don’t need to do anything. Instead, I… have to take a risk.”

“You’re the one taking the risk?” Huang Rong looked puzzled, unable to figure out what he meant. “Are you planning to storm into Ouyang Feng’s estate and demand the antidote?”

“Of course not,” Song Qingshu replied. “Defeating Ouyang Feng wouldn’t be too difficult, but forcing him to hand over the antidote would be impossible.”

“Then what is your plan?” Huang Rong asked, even more confused.

Song Qingshu said in a deep voice, “The real antidote is hard to obtain, but the poison itself isn’t. From Wanyan Liang, I’ve learned that the poison Hero Guo was afflicted with is called ‘Man’s Milk.’ I plan to acquire some and ingest it myself…”

“What?!” Huang Rong gasped in shock. “Why would you willingly poison yourself?!”

Song Qingshu smiled. “Ouyang Feng refuses to give up the antidote because of your history with him. But if someone unrelated were poisoned, he would be much more likely to hand it over.”

Huang Rong shook her head. “You may have some ties with Ouyang Feng, but not enough for him to hand over the antidote to save you. This is too dangerous! Brother Jing is already poisoned—if you get poisoned too, then I… I…”

Song Qingshu suddenly pulled her into his embrace and asked with a teasing smile, “Rong’er, are you genuinely worried about me, or are you just afraid that without me, there will be no one left to save your Brother Jing?”

Huang Rong’s heart skipped a beat. She had spoken instinctively, but now that she thought about it, she wasn’t sure which she was more worried about.

Song Qingshu traced his fingers across her smooth, jade-like cheek and said indifferently, “If both Hero Guo and I die from the poison, I suppose Rong’er will follow suit. I just wonder… would it be for Hero Guo, or for me?”

Huang Rong could no longer hold back. She instinctively spat at him. “Pah! I would die for my husband. As for you, a shameless scoundrel, even if you died ten thousand times, I wouldn’t shed a single tear.”

“That would truly break my heart,” Song Qingshu sighed dramatically. “If that’s the case, should I even risk my life to save your husband?”

Huang Rong frowned. “Let’s think of another way. Your plan is too dangerous. Besides, even if you poisoned yourself and sought out Ouyang Feng, he wouldn’t necessarily give you the antidote.”

“Who said I’d use my own identity to get poisoned?” Song Qingshu raised an eyebrow, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

“If not your own identity, then whose?” Huang Rong was stunned.

“Tang Kuo Bian!” Song Qingshu said solemnly. He had once promised Tang Kuo Bian to assume his identity, to protect his family and wife. He had been struggling to find the right opportunity to fulfill that promise. Now, with Guo Jing’s life at stake, a daring plan began to take shape in his mind.

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